August 5, 2011
The Great Adventure
Gwen Smith
Today’s Truth
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13).
Friend To Friend
A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching the next Sunday evening on “The Love of God.” As the shadows fell and the light faded from the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lit a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First, he illuminated the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the spear wound, and finally the two feet. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.
God loves us perfectly. The greatest call in our lives is to love God in return. God doesn’t just call us to receive His love. He also wants us to respond to it. To experience it. To be transformed and restored by it.
Have you ever read that children’s book, Going on a Bear Hunt? When my kids were little we wore out the board book we owned. It’s about a family who goes on an adventure together and faces obstacle after obstacle. Each time they face a new challenge, they determine that they “Can’t go over it. Can’t go under it. Can’t go around it. They have to go through it!”
The great adventure of life is our pilgrimage to God’s heart. When you place your faith in Christ, you become a child of the Heavenly Father who will never leave your side. He loves you with a stubborn love! In every case, without exception, you cannot escape, or be separated from His love. You can ignore it, doubt it, and question it. But you can’t be separated from it. Not if you are His.
When the psalmist experienced trouble, he prayed, “When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul” (Psalm 94:18-19).
Has your foot slipped lately? Are you anxious or fearful about anything? The psalmist found strength and support and joy in God’s love. When we lay down our fears and anxieties before the Lord, His perfect love drives the fear away and breathes joy into our souls.
Take a moment to center your heart, soul, and mind on Christ right now. Worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Adore Him. Praise Him. Pray that He will help you live the great adventure of your faith today.
Let’s Pray
Holy Father, You are my greatest adventure. Your love is beyond what I can imagine or comprehend. Thank you for loving me…in spite of me. Please remove anything in my heart that keeps me from fully embracing Your love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Our life song should be a love song. Many of us sing that tune regularly, but let’s choose this day to turn up the volume on our love for God. I recorded the hymn below on my Unsearchable Live album. To listen to the song, visit www.facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic. Sing along or contemplate the lyrics of this hymn as part of your response:
The Love of God
Frederick Lehman
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
More From The Girlfriends
What came to your mind as you read today’s devotion? Click over to my facebook page and tell me about it or grab your journal and write about it.
Gwen’s new CD, Uncluttered, is purposed to sweep you away from life-noise and to focus your heart and mind on the one thing that matters: your relationship with Jesus Christ. We are running a great CD SPECIAL now at http://gwensmith.net/store/specials.htm.
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Originally published Friday, 05 August 2011.
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